Notable Deaths on April 16

Q: Who died on April 16?

Notable people who died on April 16 include: Otho, Fructuosus of Braga, Sikelgaita, Sviatopolk II of Kiev (born 1050), Adelaide del Vasto.

Q: What is Eduard Oja known for?

Eduard Oja, Estonian composer, conductor, and critic (born 1905)

130 people 69 – 2026

April 16 has seen 130 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 69 – 2026. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · April 16 — Wikipedia

1950 — Eduard Oja

Estonian composer, conductor, and critic (born 1905)

Did you know

Between 1919 and 1925 he studied at Tartu Teachers' College at Tartu University, where he met Eduard Tubin, and he also worked for some time as a school teacher

Did you know

He also worked as a conductor, leading the Tartu Women's Singing Society's Women's Choir between 1930 and 1934, as well as a teacher of music theory at Tartu Higher School of Music

Did you know

Eduard Oja was an Estonian composer, conductor, music teacher and critic

Did you know

A number of his works such as the opera Oath Redeemed and the choral work The Return Home have been lost, although the majority of his work has survived, and is valued in museums in Estonia today

Did you know

The Eduard Tubin Museum of Alatskivi Castle contains exhibits related to him and his fellow students under Heino Eller, known as the "Tartu school", such as Eduard Tubin, Alfred Karindi, Olav Roots and Karl Leichter.

Otho

Roman emperor (born AD 32)

AD 69 (LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the consulship of Galba and Vinius. The denomination AD 69 for this year has been used since the…

Fructuosus of Braga

French archbishop and saint

Fructuosus of Braga was the Bishop of Dumio and Archbishop of Braga, also known for being a great founder of monasteries. The son of a Visigothic dux in the region of Bierzo, at a young age he accompanied his father on…

665

Sikelgaita

duchess of Apulia (born c. 1040)

Sikelgaita was a Lombard princess, the daughter of Prince Guaimar IV of Salerno and second wife of Duke Robert Guiscard of Apulia. Her heritage made her a vital asset to Robert's governance in Southern Italy,…

1090

Sviatopolk II of Kiev (born 1050)

Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1093 to 1113. He was not a popular prince, and his reign was marked by incessant rivalry with his cousin Vladimir Monomakh.

1113

Adelaide del Vasto

regent of Sicily, mother of Roger II of Sicily, queen of Baldwin I of Jerusalem

Adelaide del Vasto was countess of Sicily as the third spouse of Roger I of Sicily, and Queen consort of Jerusalem by marriage to Baldwin I of Jerusalem. She served as regent of Sicily during the minority of her son…

1118

Frederick I

Duke of Austria (born 1175)

Frederick I, known as Frederick the Catholic, was the duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198. He was a member of the House of Babenberg.

1198

Richard Marshal

3rd Earl of Pembroke (born 1191)

Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, was the son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and brother of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, whom he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke and Lord Marshal of England…

1234

John Hastings

2nd Earl of Pembroke, English nobleman and soldier (born 1347)

John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, was a fourteenth-century English nobleman and soldier. He also held the titles of Baron Abergavenny and Lord of Wexford. He was born in Sutton Valence, the son of Laurence Hastings,…

1375

Charles II

Duke of Savoy (born 1489)

Charles II or Charles John Amadeus, was the Duke of Savoy from 1490 to 1496 but his mother Blanche of Montferrat (1472–1519) was the actual ruler as a regent. In 1485 his father Charles I had received the hereditary…

1496

Anne Seymour

Duchess of Somerset (born 1497)

Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset was the second wife of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, who held the office of Lord Protector during the first part of the reign of their nephew King Edward VI. The Duchess was…

1587

Countess Charlotte Flandrina of Nassau (born 1579)

Countess Charlotte Flandrina of Nassau was a French abbess. She was the fourth daughter of William the Silent and his third spouse Charlotte of Bourbon.

1640

Tobias Hume

Scottish soldier, viol player, and composer (born 1569)

Tobias Hume was a Scottish composer, viol player and soldier.

1645

George Villiers

2nd Duke of Buckingham, English poet and politician, Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire (born 1628)

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, 19th Baron de Ros was an English statesman and poet who exerted considerable political power during the reign of Charles II of England.

1687

Aphra Behn

English author and playwright (born 1640)

Aphra Behn was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barriers and served as a literary…

1689

Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino

Italian poet and translator (born 1672)

Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino was an Italian poet and opera librettist. He was the son of the composer Carlo Pallavicino (1630?-1688).

1742

Jacques Cassini

French astronomer (born 1677)

Jacques Cassini was a French astronomer, son of the famous Italian astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini. He was known as Cassini II.

1756

Christian Mayer

Czech astronomer and educator (born 1719)

Christian Mayer was a Moravian-German Catholic priest, astronomer and teacher.

1783

Georges-Louis Leclerc

Comte de Buffon, French mathematician, cosmologist, and author (born 1707)

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon was a French naturalist, mathematician, and cosmologist. He held the position of intendant (director) at the Jardin du Roi, now called the Jardin des Plantes.

1788

Francisco Goya

Spanish-French painter and illustrator (born 1746)

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and engravings…

1828

Domenico Dragonetti

Italian bassist and composer (born 1763)

Domenico Carlo Maria Dragonetti was an Italian double bass virtuoso and composer with a three string double bass. He stayed for thirty years in his hometown of Venice, Republic of Venice and worked at the Opera Buffa,…

1846

Marie Tussaud

French-English sculptor, founded the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (born 1761)

Anna Maria "Marie" Tussaud, commonly known as Madame Tussaud, was a French artist known for her wax sculptures and Madame Tussauds, the wax museum she founded in London.

1850

Alexis de Tocqueville

French historian and philosopher, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1805)

Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville, was a French diplomat, political philosopher and historian. He is best known for his works Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both,…

1859

Bernadette Soubirous

French nun and saint (born 1844)

Bernadette Soubirous, SCN, also known as Bernadette of Lourdes, was a miller's daughter from Lourdes, in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées in France, and is best known for experiencing apparitions of a "young lady" who…

1879

Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski

Polish physicist and chemist (born 1845)

Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski was a Polish physicist and chemist. Together with Karol Olszewski, he was the first scientist in the world to liquify nitrogen in 1883.

1888

Emilio Jacinto

Filipino journalist and activist (born 1875)

Emilio Jacinto y Dizon was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution. He was one of the highest-ranking officers in the Philippine Revolution and was one of the highest-ranking officers of the revolutionary…

1899

Maximilian Kronberger

German poet and author (born 1888)

Maximilian Kronberger, known familiarly as Maximin, was a German poet and a significant figure in the literary circle of Stefan George.

1904

Samuel Smiles

Scottish-English author (born 1812)

Samuel Smiles was a British author and government reformer. Although he campaigned on a Chartist platform, he promoted the idea that more progress would come from new attitudes than from new laws. His primary work,…

1904

George William Hill

American astronomer and mathematician (born 1838)

George William Hill was an American astronomer and mathematician. Working independently and largely in isolation from the wider scientific community, he made major contributions to celestial mechanics and to the theory…

1914

Nelson W. Aldrich

American businessman and politician (born 1841)

Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich was a prominent American politician and a leader of the Republican Party in the United States Senate, where he represented Rhode Island from 1881 to 1911. By the 1890s, he was one of the "Big…

1915

Stefan Nerezov

Bulgarian general (born 1867)

Stefan Mikhailov Nerezov was a Bulgarian General and Chief of the Bulgarian Army Staff.

1925

Henry Birks

Canadian businessman, founded Henry Birks and Sons (born 1840)

Henry Birks was a Canadian businessman and founder of Henry Birks and Sons, a chain of high-end Canadian jewellery stores.

1928

José Carlos Mariátegui

Peruvian journalist, philosopher, and activist (born 1894)

José Carlos Mariátegui La Chira, sometimes referred to in Peru as El Amauta, was a Peruvian writer, sociologist, historian, journalist, politician, and Marxist philosopher. A prolific author despite his early death,…

1930

Panait Istrati

Romanian journalist and author (born 1884)

Panait Istrati (Romanian: [panaˈit isˈtrati]; sometimes rendered as Panaït Istrati; was a Romanian working class writer, who wrote in French and Romanian, nicknamed The Maxim Gorky of the Balkans. Istrati appears to be…

1935

Jay Johnson Morrow

American military engineer and politician, third Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (born 1870)

Jay Johnson Morrow was an American military engineer who was Chief Engineer of the United States First Army and Deputy Chief Engineer of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I and Governor of the Panama…

1937

Steve Bloomer

English footballer and manager (born 1874)

Stephen Bloomer was an England international footballer and manager who played for Derby County – becoming their record goalscorer – and Middlesbrough. The anthem "Steve Bloomer's Watchin'" is played at every Derby home…

1938

Tony D'Arcy

Irish Republican died while on hunger strike (born 1908)

Tony D'Arcy was an Irish Republican militant and activist. A senior leader in the Irish Republican Army (IRA), he died on 16 April 1940 after a 52-day hunger strike, at the age of 32.

1940

Josiah Stamp

1st Baron Stamp, English economist and civil servant (born 1880)

Josiah Charles Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp was an English industrialist, economist, civil servant, statistician, writer, and banker. He was a director of the Bank of England and chairman of the London, Midland and Scottish…

1941

Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born 1878)

Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was princess consort of Hohenlohe-Langenburg from her husband Ernst II's accession as prince in 1913 until her death in 1942. The fourth child and third daughter of Alfred,…

1942

Denis St. George Daly

Irish polo player (born 1862)

Denis St George Daly was an Irish polo player in the 1900 Summer Olympics.

1942

Arthur Chevrolet

Swiss-American racing driver and engineer (born 1884)

Arthur Chevrolet was an American racing driver and automobile manufacturer.

1946

Rudolf Höss

German SS officer, commandant of Auschwitz, convicted war criminal (born 1900)

Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Höss was a German SS officer and the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp. After the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II, he lived under a false name until discovered by…

1947

Anders Peter Nielsen

Danish target shooter (born 1867)

Anders Peter Nielsen was a Danish sport shooter who competed in the late 19th century and early 20th century in rifle shooting. He participated in Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris and won three silver…

1950

David Kirkwood

Scottish engineer and politician (born 1872)

David Kirkwood, 1st Baron Kirkwood, PC, was a Scottish politician, trade unionist and socialist activist from the East End of Glasgow, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for nearly 30 years, and was as a leading…

1955

Pieter van der Hoog

Dutch bacteriologist, dermatologist, and Islamicist (born 1888)

Pieter Henricus van der Hoog, also known after converting to Islam as Mohammed Abdul-Ali, was a Dutch bacteriologist, dermatologist, and Islamicist. Born in The Hague, Van der Hoog was pressured by his father to enter…

1957

Rosalind Franklin

English biophysicist and academic (born 1920)

Rosalind Elsie Franklin was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer. Her work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal, and graphite. Although her works on coal and…

1958

Mihály Fekete

Hungarian actor, screenwriter and film director (born 1884)

Mihály Fekete was a Hungarian actor, screenwriter and film director.

1960

Carl Hovland

American psychologist and academic (born 1912)

Carl Iver Hovland was a psychologist working primarily at Yale University and for the US Army during World War II who studied attitude change and persuasion. He first reported the sleeper effect after studying the…

1961

Francis Balfour

English soldier and colonial administrator (born 1884)

Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Cecil Campbell Balfour was a British military officer and colonial administrator.

1965

Sydney Chaplin

English actor, comedian, brother of Charlie Chaplin (born 1885)

Sydney John Chaplin was an English actor. Chaplin was the elder half-brother of actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin and in later life, served as his business manager.

1965

Eric Lambert

Australian author (born 1918)

Eric Frank Lambert was an Australian author and a sometime member of the Communist Party of Australia.

1966

Fay Bainter

American actress (born 1893)

Fay Okell Bainter was an American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Jezebel (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Other notable films include Make Way for…

1968

Edna Ferber

American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (born 1885)

Edna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat, Cimarron, Giant and Ice Palace (1958), which also received a film…

1968

Hem Vejakorn

Thai illustrator and painter (born 1904)

Mom Luang Hem Vejakorn was a Thai artist and writer. He is best known for his illustrations for the covers of 10-satang pulp novels, which have in turn influenced subsequent generations of Thai artists and illustrators,…

1969

Richard Neutra

Austrian-American architect, designed the Los Angeles County Hall of Records (born 1892)

Richard Joseph Neutra was an Austrian-American architect. Living and building for most of his career in Southern California, he came to be considered a prominent and important modernist architect. His most notable works…

1970

Péter Veres

Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of Defence (born 1897)

Péter Veres was a Hungarian politician and writer, who served as Minister of Defence from 1947 to 1948.

1970

Yasunari Kawabata

Japanese novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1899)

Yasunari/Kōsei Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His…

1972

Frank O'Connor

Australian public servant (born 1894)

Francis Alexander O'Connor was a senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Department of Supply and Shipping (1946–1948) and later the Department of Supply (1953–1959).

1972

István Kertész

Hungarian conductor and educator (born 1929)

István Kertész was a Hungarian orchestral and operatic conductor who led many of the world's orchestras, including the Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Detroit, San Francisco and…

1973

Lucius D. Clay

American officer and military governor in occupied Germany (born 1898)

Lucius Dubignon Clay was a senior officer of the United States Army who was known for his administration of occupied Germany after World War II. He served as the deputy to General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower in…

1978

Morris Stoloff

American composer (born 1898)

Morris W. Stoloff was an American composer. He worked with Sammy Davis Jr., Dinah Shore, Al Jolson and Frank Sinatra.

1980

Scott Brady

American actor (born 1924)

Scott Brady was an American film and television actor best known for his roles in Western films and as a ubiquitous television presence. He played the title role in the television series Shotgun Slade (1959–1961).

1985

Khalil al-Wazir

Palestinian commander, founded Fatah (born 1935)

Khalil Ibrahim al-Wazir was a Palestinian leader and co-founder of the nationalist party Fatah. As a top aide of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat, al-Wazir had considerable influence in…

1988

Youri Egorov

Russian pianist (born 1954)

Youri Aleksandrovich Egorov was a Soviet and Dutch classical pianist.

1988

Jocko Conlan

American baseball player and umpire (born 1899)

John Bertrand "Jocko" Conlan was an American baseball umpire who worked in the National League (NL) from 1941 to 1965. He had a brief career as an outfielder with the Chicago White Sox before entering umpiring. He…

1989

Kaoru Ishikawa Japanese author and educator (born 1915)

Kaoru Ishikawa was a Japanese organizational theorist and a professor in the engineering faculty at the University of Tokyo who was noted for his quality management innovations. He is considered a key figure in the…

1989

Miles Lawrence

English cricketer (born 1940)

John Miles Lawrence played first-class cricket for Somerset in 18 matches between 1959 and 1961.

1989

Hakkı Yeten

Turkish footballer, manager and president (born 1910)

Hakkı Yeten was a Turkish football player and president of the Istanbul-based football club Beşiktaş J.K., which he also coached. He is one of the most important names in Beşiktaş history.

1989

David Lean

English director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1908)

Sir David Lean was an English filmmaker and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of British cinema. He directed the large-scale epics The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia…

1991

Neville Brand

American actor (born 1920)

Lawrence Neville Brand was an American soldier and actor. He was known for playing villainous or antagonistic character roles in Westerns, crime dramas and films noir, and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his…

1992

Alexandru Nicolschi

Romanian spy and activist (born 1915)

Alexandru Nicolschi was a Romanian communist activist, Soviet agent and officer, and Securitate chief under the Communist regime. Active until 1961, he was one of the most recognizable leaders of violent political…

1992

Andy Russell

American singer and actor (born 1919)

Andy Russell was an American popular singer, actor, and entertainer. He specialized in traditional pop and Latin music. He sold 8 million records in the 1940s wherein he sang bilingually in English and Spanish. His most…

1992

Paul-Émilien Dalpé

Canadian labor unionist (born 1919)

Paul-Émilien Dalpé C.M., also known as Paul-Émile Dalpé, was a Canadian labour unionist and nurse.

1994

Ralph Ellison

American novelist and critic (born 1913)

Ralph Waldo Ellison was an American writer, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953.

1994

Lucille Bremer

American actress and dancer (born 1917)

Lucille Bremer was an American film actress and dancer.

1996

Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid

Colombian politician (born 1921)

María Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid was a Colombian politician, suffragist and the first woman elected to the Senate of Colombia, serving from 1958 to 1961.

1997

Roland Topor

French actor, director, and painter (born 1938)

Roland Topor was a French illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, painter, novelist, playwright, film and TV writer, filmmaker and actor, who was known for the surreal black comedy nature of his work. He was of…

1997

Alberto Calderón

Argentinian-American mathematician and academic (born 1920)

Alberto Pedro Calderón was an Argentine mathematician. His name is associated with the University of Buenos Aires, but first and foremost with the University of Chicago, where Calderón and his mentor, the analyst Antoni…

1998

Fred Davis

English snooker player (born 1913)

Fred Davis was an English professional player of snooker and English billiards. He was an eight-time World Snooker Championship winner from 1948 to 1956, and a two-time winner of the World Billiards Championship. He was…

1998

Marie-Louise Meilleur

Canadian super-centenarian (born 1880)

Marie-Louise Fébronie Meilleur was a Canadian supercentenarian. She is the oldest validated Canadian ever and upon the death of longevity world record holder Jeanne Calment, became the world's oldest recognized living…

1998

Skip Spence

Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1946)

Alexander "Skip" Spence was a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. In the same year, he released his only solo album, Oar, and then largely…

1999

Robert Osterloh

American actor (born 1918)[better source needed]

Robert Osterloh was an American actor. In a career spanning 20 years, he appeared in films such as The Dark Past (1948), The Wild One (1953), I Bury the Living (1958), and Young Dillinger (1965).

2001

Michael Ritchie

American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1938)

Michael Brunswick Ritchie was an American film director, producer, and writer of films with comical or satirical leanings, such as The Candidate (1972) and Smile (1975). He scored commercial successes directing sports…

2001

Alec Stock

English footballer and manager (born 1917)

Alec William Alfred Stock was an English football player and manager. He briefly managed AS Roma, between long spells at Leyton Orient and Queens Park Rangers. At QPR, he won successive promotions, leading the club to…

2001

Billy Ayre

English footballer and manager (born 1952)

William Ayre was an English footballer who played for three clubs in a sixteen-year professional career, making over three hundred League appearances in the process. After retiring from the playing side of the game, he…

2002

Ruth Fertel

American businesswoman, founded Ruth's Chris Steak House (born 1927)

Ruth Ann Udstad Fertel was a Louisiana businesswoman best known as the founder of Ruth's Chris Steak Houses, which was founded in 1965.

2002

Robert Urich

American actor (born 1946)

Robert Michael Urich was an American film, television, and stage actor and television producer. Over the course of his 30-year career, he starred in a record 15 television series.

2002

Graham Jarvis

Canadian actor (born 1930)

Graham Powley Jarvis was a Canadian character actor in American films and television from the 1960s to the early 2000s.

2003

Graham Stuart Thomas

English horticulturalist and author (born 1909)

Graham Stuart Thomas was an English horticulturist, who is likely best known for his work with garden roses, his restoration and stewardship of over 100 National Trust gardens and for writing 19 books on gardening, many…

2003

Kay Walsh

English actress, singer, and dancer (born 1911)

Kathleen Walsh was an English actress, dancer, and screenwriter. Her film career prospered after she met her future husband, film director David Lean, with whom she worked on productions such as In Which We Serve and…

2005

Frank Bateson

New Zealand astronomer (born 1909)

Frank Maine Bateson was a New Zealand astronomer who specialised in the study of variable stars.

2007

Gaétan Duchesne

Canadian ice hockey player (born 1962)

Gaétan Joseph Pierre Duchesne was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played with the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He…

2007

Maria Lenk

Brazilian swimmer (born 1915)

Maria Emma Hulga Lenk was a Brazilian swimmer, the first South American woman to participate in the Summer Olympic Games, in 1932.

2007

Chandrabose Suthaharan

Sri Lankan journalist

Chandrabose Suthaharan was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil editor of the Tamil magazine, Nilam, and also wrote for other Tamil news media. He had earlier worked for Virakesari. He was shot and killed on 16 April 2007, in…

2007

Edward Norton Lorenz

American mathematician and meteorologist (born 1917)

Edward Norton Lorenz was an American mathematician and meteorologist who established the theoretical basis of weather and climate predictability, as well as the basis for computer-aided atmospheric physics and…

2008

Michael Martin Dwyer

Irish security guard (born 1984)

Michael Dwyer was an Irish security guard and paramilitary, shot dead in 2009 by the Bolivian Police Special Forces in the Las Americas Hotel, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia in disputed circumstances.

2009

Eduardo Rózsa-Flores

Bolivian-Hungarian-Croatian mercenary, journalist, and actor (born 1960)

Eduardo Rózsa-Flores was a Bolivian-Hungarian-Croatian soldier, journalist, actor and alleged intelligence agent.

2009

Rasim Delić

Bosnian general and convicted war criminal (born 1949)

Rasim Delić was the chief of staff of the Bosnian Army. He was a career officer in the Yugoslav Army but left it during the breakup of Yugoslavia and was convicted of war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal…

2010

Daryl Gates

American police officer, created the D.A.R.E. Program (born 1926)

Daryl Francis Gates was an American police officer who served as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1978 to 1992. His length of tenure in this position was second only to that of William H. Parker. Gates is…

2010

Gerry Alexander

Jamaican cricketer and veterinarian (born 1928)

Franz Copeland Murray Alexander OD, known as Gerry Alexander, was a Jamaican cricketer who played 25 Test matches for the West Indies. He was a wicket-keeper who had 90 dismissals in his 25 Test appearances and, though…

2011

Allan Blakeney

Canadian scholar and politician, tenth Premier of Saskatchewan (born 1925)

Allan Emrys Blakeney was a Canadian politician who served as the tenth premier of Saskatchewan from 1971 to 1982. Originally from Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Blakeney moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, and worked in the…

2011

Sol Saks

American screenwriter and producer (born 1910)

Sol Saks was an American screenwriter best known as the creator of the television sitcom Bewitched.

2011

Sári Barabás

Hungarian soprano (born 1914)

Sári Barabás was a Hungarian operatic soprano, particularly associated with coloratura roles.

2012

Marian Biskup

Polish author and academic (born 1922)

Marian Biskup was a Polish historian, author and academic, who specialized in the history of the Baltics, Pomerelia, Teutonic Order, Prussia, Toruń and Copernicus. He was a member of the International Commission for the…

2012

Alan Hacker

English clarinet player and conductor (born 1938)

Alan Ray Hacker was an English clarinettist, conductor, and music professor.

2012

George Kunda

Zambian lawyer and politician, 11th Vice-President of Zambia (born 1956)

George Kunda was a Zambian lawyer and politician who was the 11th vice-president of Zambia from 2008 to 2011. He served as the vice-president under President Rupiah Banda until the 2011 election.

2012

Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller

Danish businessman (born 1913)

Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was a Danish shipping magnate. He was a longtime figure at A.P. Moller–Maersk Group, which was founded by his father.

2012

Carlo Petrini

Italian footballer and coach (born 1948)

Carlo Petrini was an Italian professional football player and coach.

2012

Charles Bruzon

Gibraltarian politician (born 1938)

Charles Arthur Bruzon was a Gibraltarian politician and former Roman Catholic priest. He was affiliated with the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP). In the general elections of 2011, he was elected to the Gibraltar…

2013

Ali Kafi

Algerian politician (born 1928)

Ali Kafi was an Algerian politician who was Chairman of the High Council of State and acting President from 1992 to 1994.

2013

Siegfried Ludwig

Austrian politician, 18th Governor of Lower Austria (born 1926)

Siegfried Ludwig was an Austrian politician and Governor of Lower Austria from 1981 to 1992.

2013

Pentti Lund

Finnish-Canadian ice hockey player (born 1925)

Pentti Alexander Lund was a Finnish Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played for the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. Lund was often credited as being the first Finnish…

2013

George Beverly Shea

Canadian-American singer-songwriter (born 1909)

George Beverly Shea was a Canadian-born American gospel singer and hymn composer. Shea was often described as "America's beloved gospel singer" and was considered "the first international singing 'star' of the gospel…

2013

Pat Summerall

American football player and sportscaster (born 1930)

George Allen "Pat" Summerall was an American professional football player and television sportscaster who worked for CBS, Fox, and ESPN. In addition to football, he announced major golf and tennis events. Summerall…

2013

Pedro Ramírez Vázquez

Mexican architect, designed the Tijuana Cultural Center and National Museum of Anthropology (born 1919)

Pedro Ramírez Vázquez was a Mexican architect. He was persuaded to study architecture by writer and poet Carlos Pellicer.

2013

Gyude Bryant

Liberian businessman and politician (born 1949)

Charles Gyude Bryant was a Liberian politician and businessman. He served as the Chairman of the Transitional Government of Liberia from 14 October 2003 to 16 January 2006. The installation of the transitional…

2014

Aulis Rytkönen

Finnish footballer and manager (born 1929)

Taavi Aulis Rytkönen was a Finnish footballer. He became the country's first professional player when he signed for France's Toulouse FC in 1952.

2014

Ernst Florian Winter

Austrian-American historian and political scientist (born 1923)

Ernst Florian Winter was an American historian and political scientist, the first director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna after World War II, and chairman of the International Council of the Austrian Service Abroad.

2014

Valery Belousov

Russian ice hockey player and coach (born 1948)

Valery Konsantinovich Belousov was a Russian professional ice hockey coach and player.

2015

Stanislav Gross

Czech lawyer and politician, fifth Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (born 1969)

Stanislav Gross was a Czech lawyer and politician who served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic and leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party from 2004 until 2005 when he resigned as a result of his financial…

2015

Harry Anderson

American actor and magician (born 1952)

Harry Laverne Anderson was an American actor, comedian, and magician. He is best known for his role as Judge Harold "Harry" T. Stone on the NBC sitcom Night Court (1984–1992). He later played Dave Barry on the CBS…

2018

Andrew Peacock

Australian politician (born 1939)

Andrew Sharp Peacock was an Australian politician and diplomat. He served as a cabinet minister and went on to become leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions, leading the party to defeat at the 1984 and 1990…

2021

Helen McCrory

British actress (born 1968)

Helen Elizabeth McCrory was an English actress. After studying at the Drama Centre London, she made her professional stage debut in The Importance of Being Earnest in 1990. Other theatre roles include playing Lady…

2021

Liam Scarlett

British choreographer (born 1986)

Liam Scarlett was a British choreographer who was an artist in residence with The Royal Ballet and artistic associate with Queensland Ballet. He also choreographed new works for Ballet Black, Miami City Ballet,…

2021

John Dawes

Welsh rugby union player (born 1940)

Sydney John Dawes was a Welsh rugby union player, playing at centre, and later coach. He captained London Welsh, Wales, the 1971 British Lions and the Barbarians. He is credited with being a major influence in these…

2021

Carl Erskine

American baseball player (born 1926)

Carl Daniel Erskine, nicknamed "Oisk", was an American baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959. He was a pitching mainstay on…

2024

Bob Graham

American lawyer, author, and politician, 38th governor of Florida (born 1936)

Daniel Robert Graham was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 38th governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1987 to 2005. He was a member of the…

2024

Nora Aunor

Filipino actress and recording artist (born 1953)

Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, known professionally as Nora Aunor, was a Filipino actress, producer, and singer. Known for her leading roles with patriotic, feminist and socio-political themes, she appeared in more than 170…

2025

Justin Fairfax

American lawyer and politician, 41st Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (born 1979)

Justin Edward Fairfax was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second African American to be elected to…

2026

Alex Manninger

Austrian footballer (born 1977)

Alexander Manninger was an Austrian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played internationally for the Austria national team on 33 occasions, including at UEFA Euro 2008, and represented football clubs in Italy,…

2026

April 16 in the Blog

Bhopal Gas Tragedy — April 16, 1984

On April 16, 1984, a devastating gas leak occurred at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, releasing 30 tons of toxic methyl isocyanate g...

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Notable deaths

Who died on April 16?

Eduard Oja — Estonian composer and conductor

FeaturedEduard Oja

Death year1950

Known forHis father was a forest warden

Deaths on this date130 (69 – 2026)

Explore April 16

Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.

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Also on April 16 in History

2024

The historic Børsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, is severely damaged by a fire. Wikipedia →

2018

The New York Times and The New Yorker win the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for breaking news of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal. Wikipedia →

2016

Ecuador's worst earthquake in nearly 40 years kills 676 and injures more than 230,000. Wikipedia →

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Notable Deaths on April 16

1950 — Eduard Oja

April 16 in the Blog

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